2012 NASPA Annual Conference s Phoenix, Arizona s March 10–14, 2012

Ethnic Identity Development for Korean Transracial Adoptees: Changing the Way We Understand Asian Identity

Monday, March 12, 20121:00-2:00pm

Dr. Joy L. S. HoffmanShane Carlin

Danielle HowardSarah Wilcox-Elliott

Problem

• 2 million Korean adoptees in the U.S.(Korean American, Adoptee, Adoptive Family Network; www.kaanet.com)

• Current theory models ineffective

• Unique developmental challenges (Brodzinsky, Schechter, &

Henig, 1992; Friedlander, 1999; Tizard & Phoenix, 1994)

• Minimal research on adult adoptees who have

attended college

Literature

• Racial and ethnic identity development– Monoracial (Cross, 1971,1978; Ferdman & Gallegos, 2001; Helms, 1993,1995; Jackson,

2001; Kim, 2001)

– Multiracial (Renn, 2000, 2003; Wijeyesinghe, 2001)

Literature

• Ethnic identity development for transracial adoptees (Andujo, 1988; Friedlander, 1999; Bush, 1995; McRoy, Zurcher, Lauderdale, & Anderson, 1982; Tizard & Phoenix, 1994)

• Loss, grief, and healing for adoptees (Brodzinsky, Schechter, & Henig, 1992; Grotevant, Dunbar, Kohler, & Esau, 2000; Lifton, 1994; Stein & Hoopes, 1985)

Research Questions

• How do lived experiences affect ethnic identity development for transracial Korean adoptees?

• What are the various life experiences that contribute to or limit positive ethnic identity development of transracial Korean American adoptees?

• What are the common and shared experiences related to loss, grief, and healing for transracial Korean American adoptees?

Research Design

• Grounded theory

• Individual face-to-face interviews with 12 transracial Korean adoptees

• Follow-up phone interviews, member checks, and journals

• Research journal

• Open, axial, and selective coding to generate a theoretical model

Central Phenomenon: Exploring Identity

Environmental Context

Systems of Support

Missing Pieces

Healing

Implications• Theory• Practice

• Mattering (Schlossberg, 1989)

• Future Research• Adoptive parent perceptions• Other transracial adoptee populations• Influence of course curriculum• How support systems influence healing

Panel Discussion

Shane CarlinDanielle Howard

Sarah Wilcox-Elliott

Brainstorm Session

•What is already being done?• Idea sharing• Things to consider

Thank you!

Joy Hoffman: jhoffman@whittier.eduDanielle Howard: dhoward@miami.eduSarah Wilcox-Elliott: swe@virginia.eduShane Carlin: scarlin@illinois.edu

ReferencesAndujo, E. (1988). Ethnic identity of transethnically adopted Hispanic adolescents. Social Work, 33(6), 531-535.

Brodzinsky, D. M., Schechter, M. D., & Henig, R. M. (1992). Being adopted: The lifelong search for self. New York, NY: Anchor Books.

Bush, M. (1995). Transracial adoption: Factors promoting racial identity and self esteem. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED385801)

Cross, W. E., Jr. (1971). Toward a psychology of Black liberation: The Negro-to-Black conversion experience. Black World, 20(9), 12-27. Cross, W. E., Jr. (1978). The Thomas and Cross models of psychological Nigrescence: A review. Journal of Black Psychology, 5, 13-31.

Ferdman, B. M., & Gallegos, P. I. (2001). Racial identity development and Latinos in the United States. In C. L. Wijeyesinghe & B. W. Jackson III (Eds.), New perspectives on racial identity development: A theoretical and practical anthology. (pp. 32-66). New York, NY: New York University Press.

ReferencesFriedlander, M. L. (1999). Ethnic identity development of internationally adopted children and adolescents: Implications for family therapists. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 25(1), 43-60. doi:10.1111/j.1752-0606.1999.tb01109.x

Grotevant, H. D., Dunbar, N., Kohler, J. K., & Esau, A. M. L. (2000). Adoptive identity: How contexts within and beyond the family shape developmental pathways. Family Relations, 49(4), 379- 387.

Helms, J. E. (1993a). An overview of Black racial identity theory. In J. E. Helms (Ed.), Black and White racial identity: Theory, research and practice (pp. 9-32). Westport, CT: Praeger.

Helms, J. E. (1993b). The beginnings of a diagnostic model of racial identity. In J. E. Helms (Ed.), Black and White racial identity: Theory, research and practice (pp. 83-104). Westport, CT: Praeger.

Helms, J. E. (1995). An update on Helms’s White and people of color racial identity models. In J. G. Ponterotto, J. M. Casas, L. A. Suzuki, & C. M. Alexander (Eds.), Handbook of multicultural counseling (pp. 181-198). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

ReferencesKorean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN). (n.d.). Our community. Retrieved from http://www.kaanet.com

Jackson, B. W., III. (2001). Black identity development: Further analysis and elaboration. In C. L. Wijeyesinghe & B. W. Jackson III (Eds.), New perspectives on racial identity development: A theoretical and practical anthology (pp. 8-31). New York, NY: University Press.

Kim, J. (2001). Asian American identity development theory. In C. L. Wijeyesinghe & B. W. Jackson III (Eds.), New perspectives on racial identity development: A theoretical and practical anthology. (pp. 67-90). New York, NY: New York University Press.

Lifton, B. J. (1994). Journey of the adopted self: A quest for wholeness. New York, NY: Basic Books.

McRoy, R. G., Zurcher, L. A., Lauderdale, M. L., & Anderson, R. N. (1982). Self-esteem and racial identity in transracial and inracial adoptees. Social Work, 27, 522-526.

Renn, K. A. (2000). Patterns of situational identity among biracial and multiracial college students. The Review of Higher Education, 23(4), 399-420.

ReferenceRenn, K. A. (2003). Understanding the identities of mixed-race college students through a developmental ecology lens. Journal of College Student Development, 44(3), 383-403.

Schlossberg, N. K. (1989). Marginality and mattering: Key issues in building community. New Directions for Student Services, 48, 5-15.

Stein, L. M., & Hoopes, J. L. (1985). Identity formation in the adopted adolescent. New York, NY: Child Welfare League of America.

Tizard, B., & Phoenix, A. (1994). Black identity and transracial adoption. In I. Gaber & J. Aldridge (Eds.), In the best interests of the child: Culture, identity, and transracial adoption (pp. 89-102). London: Free Association Books Ltd.

Wijeyesinghe, C. (2001). Racial identity development in multiracial people: An alternative paradigm. In C. L. Wijeyesinghe & B. W. Jackson III (Eds.), New perspectives on racial identity development: A theoretical and practical anthology. (pp. 67-90). New York, NY: New York University Press.

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